The Epidemic
by TheLinkDargon
Summary: It seems as if the five Links will be able to enjoy a nice, peaceful life after their adventure with the Four Sword. But a terrible disease is slowly creeping up on the town, taking many victims for its own. When one of them falls to the sickness, the Links must find a cure before they all die. No, Blue, it's not the zombie apocalypse... though you're pretty close.
1. The Rise of the Disease

**Dargon: HAI GUYS! This is my first FF for my account. YAAAY! I'M SO PUMPED FOR THIS! :D I hope you guys enjoy, and if you have any questions, plot suggestions, and/or comments on my style of writing or the storyline, please review! It would really help me greatly, as I am a newbie. :D**

* * *

**The Dargon Disclaimer: I could write songs, poems, and fanfics and draw pictures, manga, and anime all about The Legend of Zelda, and I still wouldn't own it. I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA! CREDIT GOES TO NINTENDO!**

* * *

Green opened his eyes slowly to see the wooden wall of the bedroom. Realizing he was lying on his side, he rolled over onto his back, stifling a yawn. He raised himself to a sitting position, leaning against the wooden headboard of the bed. Looking to his left, he could see four other sleeping figures buried under the covers next to him, still obviously sleeping.

Should he wake them up now, just to spite them? The trickster considered this for a moment, but then wisely thought better of it as he crossed his arms, waiting for the others to awaken. He knew how cranky Shadow and Blue could be in the morning.

Drumming his fingers impatiently on the headboard, he waited only for five more minutes before deciding they had slept enough. He got up and walked over to the alarm clock sitting on the dresser across from the bed. Picking it up, he set the alarm to ring three minutes from the current time and quickly tiptoed back into bed, draping the covers over himself to make it seem like he had been sleeping the entire time. Green waited, counting down the seconds.

_Two minutes to go…_

_ A minute and 45 seconds…_

_ A minute and 20 seconds…_

_ A minute to go…_

_ 10 seconds…_

_ 9…_

_ 8…_

_ 7…_

_ 6…_

_ 5…_

_ 4…_

_ 3…_

_ 2…_

_ 1…_

BRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNG!

Immediately, something next to him, whom he could only guess was Blue, sprang up from his sleeping position. "OKAY, WHO FRICKIN' TURNED ON THE ALARM?!"

Green choked back laughter and pulled the covers off of himself, rubbing his eyes and stretching to make it seem like he had just woken up. "Jeez, Blue, I don't know why we even have an alarm. Your voice alone could do the job," he joked.

Blue rolled his eyes, huffing. "Shaddup."

Around them, the others were getting up as well, having either been woken by the alarm or Blue's screaming. By the look on Shadow's face, Green knew he was definitely feeling cross.

"Seriously, who turned on the alarm?" Shadow demanded. "You are totally DEAD."

"Not me!" Red squeaked, cowering under the covers.

"I don't wake up that early," Vio said.

"Green?" Blue and Shadow both growled at once.

"Why me?" Green asked, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Sheesh, I dunno what makes you think that -"

"Well, maybe you poured salt into the water barrel, spread oil on the floor so we'd all slip, 'accidentally' locked the bedroom door from the inside so no one could get in, glued everyone's hat to the ceiling, and stuck a fake spider onto the window where everyone could see it the first thing when they woke up, so GEE, I WONDER WHY YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO TURN ON THE ALARM."

Green tried to stop himself from bursting out into laughter as the memories of all of the pranks he'd pulled off on the others came rushing back to him, but failed.

"See? I knew it." Blue crossed his arms.

"No, really, it wasn't me this time!" Green cried, composing himself quickly.

"Yeah, right…" Shadow rolled his eyes, but he didn't look as grumpy as he was before.

"So, um, what are we going to do today?" Red suddenly piped up tentatively, sparing Green from having to answer.

Blue glared at him, who shrank away. "C'mon, Red, can't you see we're having an argument here?"

"Oops… sorry…"

"Yeah, what are we doing today?" Vio asked hurriedly, before they could start arguing again.

Blue sighed, shooting Green a look that clearly said, _We'll finish this later_, and shrugged. "Dunno."

"We should go to the market," Green suggested. "We need to get more food."

Red's eyes lit up. "Ooooh, can I go this time? Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Sure."

"Yay!" Red cheered. He hopped out of bed, brushing his bangs out of his face. "I'll be back soon!" He hurried out of the room.

"Well, at least I don't have to go." Shadow yawned. "I feel lazy."

"Like you always are?" Vio asked, raising an eyebrow sarcastically, though smiling, and Shadow punched him teasingly in the arm.

* * *

Red opened the front door and walked outside, easing the door shut behind him as he set off for Castle Town, which was just down the road. Practically skipping, he noted how the sun was out and shining, with only a few scattered, milky clouds dotting the bright blue sky, causing a cheerful, warm feeling to spread throughout him.

As he neared the town, the number of people began to increase as more and more townsfolk flocked around, buying wares from the different stalls at the market. Red turned towards the fruits stand when someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see Zelda grinning at him.

"Zelda! What're you doing out here?" Red asked.

Zelda laughed, holding a finger to her lips. "Shhh… I snuck out of the castle again. Don't tell, 'kay?"

Red nodded.

"Well, I gotta get going… I heard they have a fortune-telling stall! Tell the others I'll come by later!" Zelda winked at Red cheerfully as she turned and disappeared into the crowd, the people parting to let the princess of Hyrule pass.

After Red had finished buying supplies from the market, he decided to rest a little before heading back to the house. Perched on an old, weathered barrel, he munched on an apple, watching the townsfolk pass by.

Across from where he sat, two people were sitting in front of a house, both men. They busily chatted away, relaxing in old wicker chairs. Red turned his attention away from them and instead focused on a little squirrel, who was carrying acorns back to the base of a gnarled oak tree and occasionally chirped at Red.

Suddenly, Red's sensitive ears picked up a loud commotion, and he looked up just to see another man crash out of his house a little ways away, the front door slamming against the wall. The man looked around him, and then began to shamble towards the two men conversing. Red looked curiously at the man, a nagging feeling that something was up tugging at him. The man seemed to be unstable, staggering with each step and moving as if the ground was shaking underneath him, as if he were drunk.

As the man reached the two other men, who didn't notice him, the man paused for a second, hovering behind one of them. Then…

He staggered forwards and snapped his mouth open wide, clamping hard onto the other man's neck.

The victim screamed, clawing at his attacker as the crazed man tore at the man's neck, like a wild lion ripping into a defenseless, smaller animal. Blood flowed freely, splattering onto the cobblestone street and staining it a dark red. The victim's companion shrieked in fear and sprang up from his chair to flee, but the wild man quickly tossed the man whom he had ripped his throat out to the side, and lunged forwards, tackling the escaping man to the ground and clawing into his chest.

Terrified, Red got up slowly, trying not to grab the demonic man's attention as he backed away slowly from the scene of massacre, knowing he had to get away from there as fast as possible. But as soon as he moved an inch, the monstrous man stopped, halfway from when he was licking the blood in satisfaction from his lips, and turned.

_To look straight at him._


	2. The Undead Revival

**Dargon: ANNNNNNDDD HERE'S TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! *Throws confetti into the air* *Takes out a wineglass* *Pours orange juice into it* What, I can drink juice in a wineglass, right? XD *Tosses glass to the side* LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE NEXT CHAPTER OF EPIDEMIC, BROUGHT TO YOU BY POTATOES.**

**All seriousness aside, thanks to all of my readers and reviewers from the first chapter! As always, if you have questions, comments on the storyline or my style of writing, and/or plot suggestions, please review! Thanks again to all of ya guyses! :D AND... ROLLLLLLL THE CLIP! Wait, er... I MEAN, STORY! CHAPTER!**

* * *

Blue slammed the door open, walking into the living room, where the others were. Vio looked up from his book, bored, Green looked up from his musings, also bored, and Shadow didn't bother to look up at all, seemingly interested in sharpening his nails.

"Cut it out, Shadow," Blue snapped. "Where the heck is Red? It's nighttime, and he hasn't come back yet."

Everyone shrugged.

"Should we go look for him?" Green asked, concern darkening his features.

"I'll go," Shadow decided. Seeing Vio's look, he added, "It's night anyways, and I can blend in if I have to."

Though he was still unsure, Vio nodded. "Be careful at least, alright?" he murmured quietly.

Shadow smirked. "Like to know you care that much about me." He got up and walked out of the room, heading towards the front door. Pausing only briefly at the door, his hand resting tentatively on the doorknob, he let the fact that he had never been outside in a long time worry him. A fleeting second later, he pushed the thought away and turned the knob, pushing the door open into the night.

As he walked briskly down the road, he stayed concealed for as much as he could, stepping in and out of shadows of various objects as he passed them, a lone wheelbarrow, an abandoned carriage. Finally, he reached the town.

The moment he stepped onto its cobblestone streets, he knew something was terribly wrong.

There was no one about, not even the people who usually liked to mill lazily in front of houses after dark. Even after the sun had set, Castle Town was a busy, raucous place, where many travelers liked to stop by during the midst of their journeys.

The sound of a crowd chattering in hushed whispers filled Shadow's ears, and he turned to see a whole crowd of people gathered around something in the middle of the town square, muttering quietly to one another. _Too many people_. There was no way Shadow would be able to get past the crowd and see what they were gawking at, not at least in the physical form. Taking a deep breath, Shadow let his mind wander, and his body dissolved into black matter, sinking into the ground and re-forming as a shadow, lightly silhouetted against the ground. The shadow moved across the ground, sliding under the crowd's feet as he neared the center of the group. The townsfolk were crowded around a large glass box, which contained… _W__ere those people?_

But though the figures moving inside the box were identical in appearance to that of an ordinary human being, their movement definitely was not. The three people shuffled drunkenly around the cramped box, swaying, their arms held out in front of them. Their faces were sunken, and blood dripped from their flesh. It was almost as if… they were… did he dare think it?...

_Zombies._

Shadow tore his eyes from the monstrous, trapped people inside of the box, and looked around him to see Zelda near the front of the crowd, staring at the zombie-like humans in calculating silence. Shadow quietly slid behind Zelda, slinking into her shadow, and whispered, "Zelda!"

Zelda started and began to look behind her shoulder, but Shadow quickly hissed, "Don't turn around!"

"S-Shadow…?" Zelda asked.

"Keep your voice down… what's going on?"

"I… maybe we should discuss this somewhere else. Hold on…" Zelda turned and walked through the crowd, the people, like always, separating to let her through. When Zelda had ducked behind an old tailor shop, hidden from sight from the crowd, she turned to face empty air, which soon became occupied as Shadow rose out of the princess's shadow.

"So, give me the break. What's the box for? Why are there people inside? What's wrong with them?" Shadow demanded.

Zelda sighed. "Okay, bear with me… I guess I should start at the beginning."

Shadow crossed his arms. "Go on," he urged her.

"This early morning, a man was spotted running amok, with dried blood caking his clothes and a maniatic glint in his eyes, or so the eyewitnesses told. Let's call him Unknown, for the sake of explaining this concept. One of the witnesses had seen Unknown first come out of his house and attack two other men, who were nearby him. The three men who you saw in the box are - er… _was_… those two men and Unknown. It was strange, though. How did the two men, after being assaulted by Unknown, be turned into beings just like him, seeming as if their minds had turned mad? The healers and medics have been going crazy, trying to figure out how. This is the best they could figure out…

"There is a terrible disease spreading, one which had made Unknown be the way he is now, almost like… a zombie. It's a highly contagious illness, that can be spread by physical contact or even just breathing the same air as a victim of the sickness. Unknown was able to make those two men zombies like him just by biting them. We don't even know if the disease is spreading right now. It could be in this very air, affecting us as we stand here." Zelda paused, letting that optimistic thought sink in. "We haven't found how the illness came here in the first place. But if we don't, we may be facing an outbreak."

Shadow was silent as he tried to process all of the news, but it only blankly slid through one ear to out of the other. _A zombie… disease?_

"And, er… there's also something else I have to tell you… Those two men… they're not the only ones Unknown has managed to get to." Zelda lowered her gaze down to the ground, so she wouldn't have to see Shadow's expression.

A sickening feeling suddenly bubbled in the pit of Shadow's stomach. "...Zelda…" he murmured, a lump forming in his throat. "Where was Red when this all happened?"

"He… Unknown attacked Red," Zelda's voice became painfully tight. "But the thing is… Red wasn't turned into a zombie. He's in a coma, and most likely has a concussion, but he's still… you know… _Red_. But we have no idea why…" She trailed off.

Shadow was silent for a long time, so long that Zelda wasn't sure if he would ever reply or not. Suddenly, he grabbed Zelda's arm, causing her to jump. "Where is he? Can we see him?" Shadow asked.

Zelda looked into Shadow's wide, fear-filled eyes, and sighed. "I'm sorry… I'm afraid not today. You have to come by tomorrow. The doctors still are running tests on him, trying to figure out why he's not infected yet, and they will not let anyone else in. Can you drop by the castle infirmary tomorrow, in the morning?"

Shadow cast his gaze up to the sky, staring at the cloudy, black sea of stars winking overhead. He exhaled deeply. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving Red alone, in a room with machines whirring, doctors frantically rushing about all around him…

"Okay. Sure. That'll be fine." _No… it wasn't fine._

Zelda smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry, Shadow…"

"No, it's fine. I-I think you should get going… the townsfolk are going to notice your disappearance soon…"

"N-No, I meant…"

"It's okay."

The two stood in flustered, awkward silence, and then Zelda nodded, turning to go.

"Zelda…"

She stopped, looking back over her shoulder at Shadow.

"I… make sure he's doing well, okay?" Shadow asked, putting on a fake smile.

"Of course, Shadow, of course." And then she was gone.

Shadow stood there, in the darkness, wondering how he was going to sleep that night. Then, before the tears could fall, he turned and dashed away as fast as he could, back to the house to tell the others.

* * *

Hardly anyone could sleep that night, and the air was filled with the sounds of the others tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Vio sighed into his pillow, his face buried in the soft cloth. There was a negative chance that they would be able to sleep well that night. Lifting his head slightly to look at the alarm, he groaned inwardly when he saw that it was only three in the morning.

He worried about Red. Images of syringes and metal, beeping machines filled his mind, and he hoped Red wasn't experiencing them in their physical state, though he knew he probably was.

As the time passed, Vio gave up on trying to fall asleep, and instead fiddled with the covers. Impatience, worry, and concern all mixed together in a jumble of emotion, leaving Vio utterly confused. He wanted to go to Red now, but he wasn't sure if it was too early or not.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore, and glanced at the clock again to see the time had changed to six in the morning. He turned over to look at the dark lumps in the bed next to him, and whispered, "Guys…"

"What?" A chorus of three other voices responded.

"Do you think we wasted enough time already?"

Green immediately sprang up, scrambling out of bed. "You know what? _Too_ much time. Let's go!"

* * *

Zelda greeted them on their way into the castle with a "Oh my… you look… _terrible_.", having noticed the Links' sunken, hollow faces and their red, puffy eyes.

"Thanks," Blue said sarcastically. "I like to wake up _flawless_ every morning."

"Or in this case, not get any sleep at all," Vio murmured, forcing his eyes to stay open.

"Are you sure you want to come now? You should really get some sleep…" Seeing the other's incredulous looks, Zelda quickly added, "Uh, never mind. Come on in. He's in the infirmary."

Seeing Red lying motionless in bed, Green started to wonder whether they should have come after all. Nevertheless, The Links all dashed to Red's bedside. Red's eyes were closed, and he seemed as if he were grimacing in pain, his face twitching slightly. His skin was deathly pale, almost devoid of any color except for white. Though the patient's chest rose and fell, signaling that he was breathing, it was shaky, as if he were struggling to breathe. Covering Red's neck was a wad of gauze, thickly wrapped around the base of his neck. The bandage was stained a deep, blood-red.

"...Gosh dangit, Red," Blue murmured.

"He was bitten?" Shadow asked Zelda.

Zelda nodded. "It's strange, though. The two men Unknown had infected immediately became zombies, mere seconds after Unknown had bitten them. But it's been a full night since Red was bitten, and he's only suffering in a coma."

"So… you're saying he has the disease, it's just not affecting him the same way as it did to the two men Unknown had bitten first."

"Precisely."

Green looked around at the others, and saw Vio, with him staring off into space unblinkingly. He knew that look; they all called it the "Thinking" look, or as Blue liked to call it, "The-look-in-which-Vio-looks-into-space-as-if-it's-the-most-interesting-thing-in-the-world" look. When Vio was concentrating hard on something, whether remembering something from the past or simply figuring it out, he would unconsciously resume that look.

Vio blinked, snapping out of his trance, and murmured something to Shadow, whose face quickly turned ashen. Then, Shadow nodded, and quickly fumbled for Red's hand, grasping it in his own.

Confused, Green, Blue, and Zelda all glanced at each other. "Shadow…?"

"I… we have an idea," Shadow muttered, his breathing quickening as his heart began to beat faster in anxiety. "We're trying to figure out why he didn't become a zombie, right? And possibly a cure for the infected. I-I think if I probe his mind, enter his memory bank, see exactly how he was bitten, we may be able to figure something out."

"Wait!" Zelda cried. "But… there are so many things that could go wrong! What if you can't come back? What if _something_ happens?

"We have to try, don't we?" Shadow turned and grinned, flashing a slightly anxious but insane smile. "It's our only chance. Trust me, we'll definitely be careful."

"'We'?" Blue asked.

Shadow felt for Red's pulse, and when he could feel it faintly beating, he looked back up at all of the others. "Yeah… I… I need someone to go with me."

"Scared?" Blue muttered under his breath.

"No, it could break _my _sanity if I go alone." Shadow crossed his arms and looked around at all of them. "So, who wants to _bravely _volunteer? Just saying, we could possibly die, be driven mad for the rest of our lives, slit in half, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, all depending on what's going on in that thick brain of his." He gestured to Red.

Silence.

Vio looked at the others. Then, he smiled slightly, and nodded, coming over to join Shadow at Red's bedside. "Let's go. I'll do it."

Shadow brushed the bangs covering Red's forehead away to the side gently and placed his fingertips on the unconscious boy's temples, grasping Vio's hand in his other hand tightly. "Listen to me… you have to do _everything_ I say, okay? Everything. Or we may not come out of this alive."

"Sure thing, captain."

"So, for this first part… Don't. Ever. Let. Go. Of. Me. Got that?"

Vio nodded, closing his eyes briefly. _What had he gotten himself into…?_ He opened his eyes to look back nervously at the others, who all smiled in encouragement.

"Ready… On the count of three… Three…"

"Two…"

"ONE!" And Shadow pulled Vio into complete darkness.

* * *

**Dargon: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR ALL OF THE CLIFFHANGERS, I PROMISE I'LL GET BACK TO THEM SOON AND COVER THEM UP WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER! I'M SORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! *Dashes away into the sunset***


	3. The Crimson Red Beast

**Dargon: I'M SITTING HERE AS I WRITE THIS AND IT'S RAINING REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HARD OUTSIDE. AND IT'S ALL COLD. THOUGH TECHNICALLY WE'RE IN THE MONTH OF APRIL. WHYYYY APRIL WHYYYYY?**

**Anonymous: Because April showers bring May -**

**Dargon: I KNOW THAT**

** Here's the next chapter of Epidemic! Finally drew some cover art for the story, for the cover image... Though I'm not sure if you guys can see it yet. Hope you guys enjoy! THANKS TO ALL OF THE READERS AND REVIEWERS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS! Andddddd… LEZ DO DIS!**

* * *

Invisible forces swirled around Vio as he and Shadow hurtled through an absolute, pitch-black universe, threatening to tear away the grip he had on Shadow, but he managed to barely hold on. Just as he began to feel as if his arm would snap off, he slammed into hard, firm ground, his knees nearly buckling from the impact. A wave of searing heat greeted him as Vio wrenched his eyes open. Somehow, he was in a large, earthen chamber, with Shadow next to him, the charred rock walls pressing in on them. Ahead, the chamber opened up into a twisting tunnel that wound out of sight.

Shadow grimaced and slumped against the wall for support, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

"You okay?" Alarmed, Vio reached out to help Shadow as he slid down to the ground, but the dark Link waved his hand away.

"Yeah. I'm fine... I guess it was the exertion from entering his memory bank…" Painfully, Shadow clawed his way back up, panting.

"So… this is his mind? We're in his mind right now?" Vio asked, looking around at the cave walls, basking in the stuffy heat.

"No… more like… the entrance."

"The_ entrance_?"

"Yeah. You'll see in a second." Shadow pointed to the tunnel up ahead, and the two walked forwards, following its twists and curves. As they walked through the corridor, Vio's mind wandered to what Shadow had said before.

"_We could possibly die, be driven mad for the rest of our lives, slit in half, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, all depending on what's going on in that thick brain of his." _Were there different dangers that they would encounter, different from the hazards they might find in another person's mind? How did Shadow know all of this? Had he… done this before?

Vio was suddenly torn apart from his musings when they turned a corner, and were greeted by another chamber. Nearly taking up the whole of the chamber floor was a gigantic pit of lava, bubbling and frothing as splashes of orange and red spewed out. The heat was tremendous; dimly, Vio wondered if this was what it felt like to be the turkey in the oven.

Shadow pointed to the pool. "_That's _the entrance." He glanced at Vio, who said nothing, but only bit his lip and nodded tightly. "It's the only way in. Ready?"

Vio sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Set…"

"You know what?... Let's just get this over with." And it was Vio this time who leaped forward first, Shadow right behind him.

* * *

When he was certain he wasn't sinking through lava anymore, Shadow opened his eyes. His vision was covered by a viscous layer of brown sludge that was burning hot to the touch, and Shadow quickly wiped it away from his eyes.

_It wasn't really lava after all, _he noted. More like a thick, gooey substitute for it.

Vio was next to him, covered from head to toe in the same thick substance, wincing as the hot goo slid over his skin. Doing his best to wipe the substance off of himself, Shadow got up, looking around him. "Yep. Welcome to Red's mind."

Vio blinked, staring in stunned surprise at the world laid out before them.

It was as if the earth had become a bizarre, warped and demented dimension. The tall grass the two were standing in was a bright, neon-orange color, nearly too bright to look at for long. Trees with trunks spiraling to the blood-red sky in circles waved in the slight breeze, dotting the landscape as far as the eye could see. A few yards away from the two Links lay a colossal, crystal ball, perched on top of a golden pedestal, its facets reflecting the cobalt-blue sun's rays.

"That's what we're looking for." Shadow walked over to the crystal ball, placing his hands on the sides of the chiseled globe. He began rotating it this way and that, clicking the pieces together, all as if the sphere was just one gigantic puzzle. Fascinated, Vio watched him, noting the ease in which Shadow did the whole thing, as if he knew exactly what to do.

_But… did he? How many times has he done this before? Who did he do it on?_

With a final _chink_, Shadow slid one last piece into place, and a portal shimmered into existence, forming in front of the Links. He dusted his hands off, as if the whole thing had been just a casual act. "There we go."

"How -" Vio began to say.

"Now's not the time." Shadow cut him off sharply. "We gotta figure out why Red wasn't turned into a zombie, then get out of here as fast as we can."

_ He's definitely hiding something._ Nevertheless, Vio nodded. It was slightly unsettling when he thought about it, being inside his counterpart's memory bank, and the distorted world around him did nothing to make it better. He pushed the thought away and followed after Shadow, leaping through the portal. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could get back to the real world.

Immediately, the distorted world fell away from the two Links, folding in on itself rapidly until it was gone, and only a white haze surrounded them. A sharp intake of breath from Vio behind Shadow caused him to whip around.

What he saw almost made him want to be violently sick.

A man was standing over Red, his back turned to the two Links, not too far away from where Vio and Shadow were frozen. Red had collapsed; he lay facedown in a heap, thick, dark-red blood pooling underneath him. Clearly visible on his neck were two gaping puncture marks, like that of a viper's bite. Vio growled and started forward like he wanted to teach the man a few lessons, but Shadow quickly thrust an arm out, preventing him from taking another step.

"I-It's only a memory," he hissed, but he wasn't sure if he even believed himself as he gazed down at the sight of Red lying there.

The man turned, and Shadow could recognize him as one of the mindless, zombie-like people in the glass container he had seen at the town square before.

_Was he… Unknown? _

The man looked grotesque, his face sunken and hollow, and his clothes were torn, caked with dried blood and dust. Patches of skin that were visible on the zombie's body were torn off, showing the red, glistening insides of the monster. Blood was dripping down the monster's chin, and the man hungrily licked it off.

The three of them stared at each other for what seemed to be ages, until the demonic man grinned, showing rotting teeth, and hissed, _Ah, how foolish you heroes are…Though the townsfolk will all be transformed into the undead, fear not… your friend here _- The man brought his disoriented, crooked leg back and swung a heavy, well-placed kick into Red's side, causing Shadow and Vio to flinch - _will serve the undead army as a beast. The cursed Triforce he carries protects him from becoming one of the undead himself, but he will be quite suitable as a beast._

Shadow and Vio exchanged worried glances. _What was he talking about?..._

The zombie smiled. Then, he snapped his gnarled, twisted fingers once, and the limp form of Red suddenly began to shudder. Coarse, crimson red fur began to sprout out of Red's visible skin, and he began to grow in size, becoming larger and larger until he was the size of a full-grown tiger. Red - or what used to be Red - fell onto all fours as long claws grew over his thick paws, scraping against the floor. The beast that had once been the Links' red counterpart turned to face them, snarling and baring its teeth, as a large, scarlet-red wolf. The beast's ears were flattened against its skull, and it was seething at Shadow and Vio with a burning hatred.

_Have fun, now, _The man laughed. _When you get back to your puny little friends, tell them that the boy has exactly seven days before he turns into this beast. _He motioned to the red wolf, then shrugged. _Or we can kill you right here and now. It would save us from quite a lot of trouble… Yes. Know that, pesky humans, that you were murdered by your own friend, and there was nothing you could do._

Without warning, the blood-red wolf sprang forwards, and in an instant it was upon Vio. The violet Link let out a yell as the wolf knocked him backwards, clawing at him, trying to tear him apart. By pure luck, Vio managed to get his foot underneath the mutt, bracing it against the beast's stomach, and fling the monster to the side. Not bothering to pause and waste even a second, he yelled, "Run!" to Shadow, and they both took off for the portal, leaping through it to the strange world again, as the insane, cruel laughter of the man echoed behind them. Shadow glanced behind them as they ran through the grass to see the wolf streaking after them, gaining with each second. They would have to get rid of it if they wanted to ever leave this place.

Skidding to a halt, Shadow whipped around, summoning a blade of shadow. Just as the wolf lunged for him, fangs bared, claws outstretched, he cringed and thrust the knife straight into the wolf's chest.

Blood spurted out, drenching Shadow, as the wolf howled in pain, collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud. The mutt quickly scrambled back to its feet, growling at Shadow. But the look it gave him wasn't that of a wild, hostile beast considering him as prey anymore; it was regarding him as an equally-matched opponent, somebody that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Keeping its glowing, red eyes on him, the wolf backed away slowly, then bobbed its head as if nodding to him and turned, padding off into the distance until it was out of sight.

Stunned, Shadow lowered his knife. _The beast had just let them go, just like that? _He suddenly remembered Vio and looked around wildly, searching for him. "Vio!" he cried out. A small, stifled groan issued from behind him and he turned to see Vio standing there in the grass, clutching a hand to his chest.

"Oh, gosh, Vio, are you okay?" Shadow scrambled over to him. "Is it your…" He gently pried Vio's fingers away from his chest. Underneath, a gaping wound shone with blood, the cloth and skin having been torn away. "Was that the wolf?"

"M' okay…" Vio murmured. The world spun and slid sickeningly before him, like a taunting rollercoaster. "Yeah, I think so…"

"We've gotta get out of here. Can you stand?"

Grimacing, Vio tried to get up, but he stumbled and almost fell over, panting heavily.

Shadow winced. They wouldn't be able to make it very far, with Vio's injury. "Here, lemme help with that." He lowered himself, bending his knees slightly so that he could swing Vio over his shoulder, like a sack. Staggering slightly under Vio's added weight, Shadow managed to regain his footing. He could feel Vio's wound bleeding, warm blood soaking into his shoulder, but he ignored it.

"Could use an exit, here," he muttered, and almost instantly, another portal winked into existence up ahead, nearly twenty feet away from them.

"How did you..." Vio winced, turning pale, clutching tightly onto Shadow as he swayed weakly. "Uh, never mind."

Shadow began to walk slowly, carrying Vio to the portal. It was a slow process; Shadow had to stop at intervals and readjust Vio on his shoulder so he wouldn't fall off. But soon, they were nearing the portal, now only a few feet away.

"Getting close," Shadow reassured Vio. "You'll be fine, soon."

"Oh, joy," Vio murmured, trying to joke lightly, but his speech was slurring, mixing into an unintelligible whisper. Worried, Shadow cast a glance at the violet Link, and saw that his eyes were nearly closed, on the brink of passing out.

"Hang on, Vio." When they had reached the portal, Shadow gently lifted him off of his shoulder, leaning the wounded Link against him and grasping his pale, clammy hand in his. "Okay, on the count of three, we step into it at the same time. Got it?"

Vio nodded.

"One…"

"Two..."

"Three!" Shadow and Vio stepped through the portal. They both felt themselves lurch forward, and then they were falling through complete black.

As they fell, a soft voice suddenly issued throughout the darkness, sweet and gentle.

"_Heroes…"_

Shadow started in surprise. _Who...?_

"Remember_ this… Slaverus Draconius… remember..."_

_What?... _Shadow wondered, but it was too late. As if it were a real, living being, the darkness around them suddenly lunged for them, the dark matter licking up their skin, and swallowed them whole.


	4. Forbidden Ways

**Dargon: Anyone else think it's been A THOUSAND years since I've last updated? No? Am I the only one?**

**XD JKJKJKJKJK! I'M SOOOOOOO SOOOOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN, LIKE, FOREVER! MY TEACHERS ARE LIKE DOING THE WHOLE "IT'S-NEAR-THE-END-OF-THE-SCHOOL-YEAR-AND-SO-THAT-MEANS-WE-SHALL-DUMP-MOUNDS-OF-HOMEWORK-ON-YOU" TACTIC. SORRY GUYS... BUT HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! **

* * *

Vio groaned. "Ughhh… owwww." Groggily, feeling as if there was a leaden weight pressing down on his eyelids, Vio forced his eyes open to see Blue, Green, and Zelda leaning over him, concern flitting their expressions. Turning his head to the side, he could see just the tip of Shadow's head visible underneath the covers.

"Are you feeling okay, Vio?" Zelda whispered.

Vio winced as a painful ache flared in his forehead, causing him to feel sick. "I'm fine," he managed to choke out, and cringed again as he heard his own raspy voice.

Blue appeared at his side with a cup full of water, shaking his head as he passed the cup to the violet Link, who gratefully took it. "Seriously, what happened to you guys in there? You were in there for a long time, and when you were passed out you were talking in your sleep about -" Blue quickly clammed up as Green shot him a look.

"Vio, what happened?" Green asked.

Vio looked around at them all. He sighed. "It's a long story…"

"We have time," Blue said, and the others all agreed.

"Okay, then." Taking a deep breath, Vio cleared his throat, then explained what happened when they had entered Red's memory bank.

The others listened in silence, and when Vio had finally finished, Blue shook his head again. "...That's messed up." The conscious Links and Zelda all looked at where Red was lying in the sickbed. At least, for the time being, he wasn't a monster… _yet_.

"We only have about a week." Green sighed. "That seems like a long time…"

"...But what if it's not?" Vio finished for him. "We need to find a cure and fast, but we didn't find anything that could lead us to it."

"Actually, I think we did." A hoarse, muffled voice issued behind them, and they all turned to see Shadow, the pillow stuffed over his head, only a bleary, half-open eye of the shadow Link visible.

"Shadow!" They all cried.

Shadow looked at Vio. "After we went through the portal to exit Red's memory bank, did you hear anything, as we were falling?"

Vio wracked his mind, searching for anything he had noticed while they were exiting Red's mind, but nothing came. "No," he admitted. "I think I passed out right after we stepped through the portal."

"Well, just as we were getting out of there, I heard a voice… it said… something like… _Slaverus Draconius_."

"A voice?" Green asked, scratching his head in confusion. "Who could it be?"

"I dunno, probably a voice of Red's consciousness… I have no idea. It was all messed up in there." Shadow shook his head.

Something was nagging at Vio, bothering him. The name certainly seemed familiar… Suddenly, Vio bolted upright, startling the others. He knew that name. He definitely heard it from somewhere. But where…?

And then, it all clicked into place.

"_Slaverus Draconius_?" Vio asked, clutching at the sheets until his knuckles turned white.

"...Yeah," Shadow said slowly. "That ring a bell?"

"It's in… I have to get… back at the house…" Vio tried to get out of bed, but pain flared in his chest, constricting it, and he stifled a groan, wincing.

"What? What is it?" Green asked.

"Back at the house… book… green cover… in the chest… at the foot of the bed…" Vio cringed. "I need... to look at something…"

Green and Blue glanced at each other, and then they both nodded. "We'll go get it," Blue announced. "We'll be back as fast as we can."

"Th...Thanks…" Vio murmured gratefully, relaxing and lowering himself back into the bed, resting his head weakly against the pillow.

They left, leaving Vio and Shadow alone with Zelda.

Zelda cast her eyes down at the ground. "S-Sorry. I just wanted to say... with Red -"

She was interrupted as pounding footsteps suddenly sounded, growing louder and louder until a guard burst into the infirmary, his eyes wide. "Milady -"

He stopped abruptly as he saw the two Links. "Um... Is this what I think it is?"

"N-No!" The Links and Zelda spluttered at the same time.

The guard relaxed. "Oh, cause I thought..."

"Guard, what is it?" Zelda quickly asked.

"Uh, right. The zomb -"

"What?!" Zelda cried. "But I thought -"

"It would be easier to explain if you saw it yourself! Follow me, please!" The guard ran out of the room.

Zelda blushed, looking apologetically at the Links. "Sorry, he really does get the wrong..." Seeing their looks, Zelda sighed and said, "Okay, then, just wait here," before dashing out of the room after the castle guard.

Vio and Shadow looked at each other.

"Like we were going to go anywhere," Shadow grumbled, a faint red tinge still coloring his cheeks.

* * *

Green and Blue hurried out of the castle. Outside, it had turned nighttime, the moon and stars glinting brightly amidst the twilit sky. Green ran behind the castle to the stables for a few moments and then returned quickly, guiding two chestnut-brown horses behind him.

"Here!" he called to Blue, tossing the reins of one of the horses to him. The two Links swiftly hoisted themselves on top of their steeds, and then without so much of a pause they took off, pounding along the dirt road as they rode towards their home to get the book Vio had requested. As they galloped across grassy plains, Green let his mind wander. No doubt, Vio had recognized the term from one of the many books he had read. It was uncanny, how he could remember that one phrase from the millions of books he had in his head.

All of a sudden, Blue shouted, "Hold up!"

Snapped apart from his musings, Green yanked on his horse's reins, causing the horse to skid to a halt.

"What is it?" he asked Blue.

"Is it me, or are the townsfolk...?" Blue pointed ahead, and Green looked to see the dark streets and houses of Castle Town a few yards away. He could see dark figures roaming around the streets. Green was about to ask what was bothering Blue when he saw the figures were making throaty, slavering sounds, shuffling in erratic movements.

"Oh, my..." It couldn't be... _Were those zombies? But Zelda had said they had imprisoned the three zombies... _

Oh. OH.

_The disease._ It was the disease that was spreading through the air that was slowly transforming all of the townsfolk into the undead. They may have captured the zombies who had been created by the disease, but it was impossible to capture an illness.

One of the shambling zombies turned and lumbered into one of the quiet houses along the street. Seconds later, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from within the house, followed by a series of terrible gurgling, choking sounds. The zombie that had first entered the house then came back out, with another undead right behind it.

Blue stared at the hulking forms, as if he wanted to slice the monsters' heads off, but Green grabbed his arm.

"There's nothing we can do, until we have the cure," he reminded him, slightly afraid of the dark shadow that suddenly crossed Blue's face for a second.

After a lengthy pause, Blue shook his head, as if clearing it, and turned away from the town. The Links took off again, now an increased urgency to their gallop.

* * *

When Blue and Green finally reached the house, they stopped dead in their tracks as they walked up to the front door.

Drawn quite clearly on the wooden door was the number seven, having been grisly splashed on with blood.

"A reminder... seven days..." Green murmured.

"Nice decor," Blue commented.

Green shook his head and opened the door, walking inside. The Links hurried upstairs to the bedroom.

"Where did he say it was?" Blue asked.

"He said it was in the chest at the foot of the bed... has a green cover." Green tugged on the lid of the chest, opening it with a small creak. He drew out an old tome, with a dark green cover that was layered with.. _Were those real scales?_ A series of unintelligible lettering was neatly printed on the cover, its ink fading. "What language is this?"

Blue shrugged, scrunching up his face. "Vio reads this stuff?"

"Well, let's get back to the castle as soon as possible. I don't think I want to hang around, possibly wait for whoever wrote on the door to come back."

* * *

The others all crowded around Vio as he propped the book open on his knees, carefully flipping the old, flimsy pages.

"S..." he murmured to himself. "S... SD... There we go. _Slaverus Draconius_..." He cleared his throat. "_Slaverus Draconius_... A disease that ails its victims, causing a spore-like fungus, labeled '_Slaverus Draconitus_', to grow and reproduce over a being's mind, causing it to malfunction and focus only on spreading the disease to others."

Blue coughed. "We're looking for a _cure_, right?"

"I'm getting to that part. Ingredients… '_Poisoned brown mushroom_' -"

"_Poisoned_?!" Everyone cried. "I thought this was a cure!"

Vio winced in pain as he shifted, putting a hand over his chest. "Let me finish, and then I'll explain. '_Poisoned brown mushroom_, _an elixir potion_, _the left eye of a colossal frog, and an egg from a dragon_.'"

Silence.

"...Oh snap," Green murmured.

"Way to make it harder for all of us!" Blue rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and pouting grumpily. "Great, now we gotta waste energy going around and -"

"So, how's a poison supposed to formulate a cure?" Zelda asked worriedly. "I mean, if it's _poison _-"

"The poison acts as a counterproductive, retaliating against the spore-like fungus that grows over a victim's brain when infected. Ever heard of the term 'Fight fire with fire'? Well, in this case, we have to counteract to the deadly infection with something deadly of our own in hand," Vio explained.

Everyone stared at him, clearly confused as they scratched their heads, perplexed. "Uh…"

Vio sighed. "That was the simple explanation."

More stares.

"Umm… back to the task at hand?"

"Sure." Zelda blinked, suddenly all-business. "We can take care of the elixir potion; we have brewers here in the castle that know how to make it. But the mushroom, the frog's eyeball, and the dragon's egg? Where would you find that?..."

"In the Forbidden Woods," Vio answered simply. "That's the only place where we can find them. Creatures of all sizes can be found there, not to mention a select few mushrooms."

"The _Forbidden Woods_? But… the legends…"

Vio sighed. "I know… but we have to risk it."

Green and Blue glanced at each other. "Um… what legends, exactly?" Green asked warily.

"C'mon, Green, you can't possibly be scared of an old tall tale," Blue teased, punching him in the arm.

"Old tales, spoken of how the forest drives whoever decides to enter it to complete madness, you know, that kind of stuff," Shadow explained.

Green swallowed. "Uh… they don't happen to be wrong, do they?"

"Who knows… no one's ever been in there before. And now we have to break that streak."

"Now?" Green glanced at Shadow and Vio. "But… are you feeling okay enough to go?"

"We'll survive." Vio looked at Shadow, and they both slid out of the sickbed.

Blue tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, then, let's go! Finally, something to do!"

Green cringed at how bold Blue was, though they could possibly die in the Forbidden Woods. "If you wanna be the first one to die, Blue, then be my guest!"

"Nah." Blue rolled his eyes. "_Me _die first? Pfffft… I bet ol' scaredy-cat Green's gonna kick the bucket before we even get there."

* * *

Green, Blue, Vio, and Shadow stood in front of the entrance to the Forbidden Woods, an opening cut into the thick foliage of the looming, dark forest ahead of them. An unearthly, ghostly-sounding howl rose out of the woods, somewhere buried deep inside. The Links all shivered, even Blue, though the air was nowhere near chilly.

"Having second thoughts?" Green murmured to Blue.

"N-No way! I'm not afraid of anything!" Blue protested.

"Well, we're going to see if that's true... in there." Vio pointed to the foreboding forest.

Blue swept off his hat in a single motion, bowing low and gesturing with one hand to the entrance. "Well, in that case, ladies first."

Shadow snorted, and Green huffed, "Shaddup." Nevertheless, Green walked forwards first, stepping into the dense woods, the other trailing after him.

Meanwhile, hidden in the leafy canopy of a twisted, gnarled oak tree nearby, a single, solitary black raven sat perched on one of the tree's branches. The raven's beady red eyes regarded the Links as they proceeded into the so-called haunted forest until they were out of sight. It gave a low laugh, sounding more human than bird. _Yesssss… _it hissed. _Yesssss, enter my home… and become my prisonerssss.. forever! You may have ssssafety in numberssss, but I'll take care of that… ssssoon enough._

With a loud cackle, it rose up into the air in a whirlwind of black feathers, and was gone.

* * *

**Dargon: Oh, give me a break, you're bein' too kind**

**These creatures have a one-track mind!**

**The orchard is not their restaurant**

**But do they ever think what others may want?...**

**...**

**O.o**

**SORRY. IT'S STUCK IN MY HEAD RIGHT NOW.**

**I have only three more Skittles left...**

**Oh... never mind. They're gone now.**

**HEH HEH... BAI! I PROMISE I WILL TRY TO UPDATE MORE QUICKLY! BUT IN THE MEANWHILE... **

**SEE YA! *Salutes***


End file.
